The love for America that oozed from his speech was not the normal formulaic sucking-up to the world's most powerful nation, but utterly genuine. Gordon Brown loves America. He loves its history, its politics, its sense of possibility. Bobby Kennedy is one of his great heroes. So for this shy, often introspective British politician, speaking to Congress as prime minister will be something he treasures for the rest of his life.

And he rose to the occasion. The speech was delivered with passion and was full of good lines; even a bit of poetry. To this audience, religious rhetoric, like manna from heaven, is scooped up with open arms. And Brown didn't hold back. Biblical soundbites flowed.

At his best Brown is a muscular politician, offering serious solutions and deeply held values. There was something brave at this time of economic crisis, not to dwell just on the west's problems, but to make Congress think about the plight of those suffering in Africa. His story about the memorial to a Rwandan boy was not only moving but intended to stop any attempts by America to turns inwards.

Brown is the master of the rhythmic three-part sentence: "Wealth must help more than the wealthy, good fortune must serve more than the fortunate, riches must enrich not just some of us but all." He delivers the clap line with a powerful crescendo.

A test for any speech, the best way of making sure it has a central, driving argument, is whether you can sum it up in a sentence, such as: this is the speech where Gordon Brown said ...

So what was that argument? Probably, that together we can solve all the world's problems. If people in Britain are still willing to give him another chance, this speech was as good a case as there is for doing so. Yesterday, Brown didn't just give us substance but a little style too.